I’ve met Paul Wolfowitz on many occasions and used to see him quite a lot over at the Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He has always been cordial to me and to others when I have seen him in public.
But as with many of us, there tend to be parts of ourselves that we keep a bit covered. With Wolfowitz, it may be his anger and his zest for revenge — something that may have animated much of his leading role in taking America into the Iraq War and taking down Saddam Hussein.
But just ponder these words from the World Bank CEO as reported by The Guardian:
Sounding more like a cast member of the Sopranos than an international leader, in testimony by one key witness Mr Wolfowitz declares: “If they fuck with me or Shaha, I have enough on them to fuck them too.”
This can’t be put back together. Wolfowitz has lost whatever ability to lead the Bank he may have once had.
What is happening now in the ongoing statements of support from Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson, Vice President Cheney and the President himself is a “negotiation.”
If Wolfowitz does resign or is fired this week, Bush wants the price for this to be high and wants to extract concessions from the Europeans on other priorities Bush has. This is all deal-making, but still, Wolfowitz’s prospects look bleaker by the hour.
— Steve Clemons
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